Need Help Getting to Sleep at Night? Try Magnesium!

 

 

When Jay and I visited my mom in Arizona last year she had us try some magnesium supplements before we went to bed to help us calm down and sleep better. I didn't know how much it would actually help but to my surprise it did wonders! I felt instantly calmer and ready to settle down for the night. I finally purchased some of my own and have been using it pretty frequently lately. It helps me to unwind from the day and relax before bed time.

 

Magnesium not only helps to relax you but also does wonders for your stress levels! It also helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady, supports a healthy immune system, and keeps bones strong.

 

 

I mix 2 heaping teaspoons with about 6 oz hot water and stir until it's dissolved. I try to drink this at least a half hour before bedtime to allow my body to unwind and relax.

 

Many people are deficient in magnesium and don't even know it! Always check with a doctor before adding any supplements to your routine. If you're looking for a way to wind down before bed and to help reduce your stress levels, you should give it a try!

Do you have trouble calming down before bedtime? Are there any things you do that work well for you?

 

Review: Coach Poppy Perfume

One of the joys of visiting Target is that I can walk in to buy some groceries and walk out with an amazing new perfume.

Last week I browsed the perfume aisle at Target and decided to try out the Coach Poppy fragrance. Once I smelled it, I knew I had to purchase it. I hadn’t treated myself to a new perfume in a very long and decided to splurge. The bottle I purchased was $40 for one ounce. (Quick note: this same size may cost $45 depending on where you purchase.)

I prefer fragrances that are fruity, not too overpowering and not overly floral. Darker musky fragrances don’t work well on me and don’t fit my personality. Coach’s Poppy fragrance contains jasmine, gardenia, rose petals, freesia, water lily, cedarwood, sandalwood, vanilla, marshmallow, mandarin and cucumber. That sounds like a whole lot of floral, but it isn’t. It’s the right amount of floral and extremely light and sweet. Coach Poppy is fruity, delicate, feminine and sophisticated.

If you’re looking for a new perfume, I strongly encourage you check this one out! What’s your favorite fragrance?

What is CrossFit + Intro Workout

 

Jay and I recently bought a Living Social deal to try out a local CrossFit gym. I've been wanting to try out CrossFit for a while and this was the push I needed to do it. We went to an introductory class last night and although we did 1/4 of what we normally would do when we are there, my butt was still kicked. I loved the high energy and how quick the workouts are. I left there a sweaty mess and I can't wait to go back to see what more is in store for us.

 

Not familiar with CrossFit? CrossFit is constantly varied functional movements performed at relatively high intensity. Basically, you bust your butt and work really hard in a short amount of time for an extremely effective form of exercise.

 

We practiced form for the 5 moves we would be doing later during our Workout of the Day (WOD). Our trainer had us do a 400 meter run around the building to warm up and then we got into the moves for the day. We focused on squats, push ups, sit ups, box jumps and kettle bell swings. Turns out, I was doing most of these moves incorrectly before and didn't even know it! It was nice to have someone checking on my form and letting me know what I was doing wrong so I can work to correct it. After we got our moves down it was time for our WOD. Here's what we did

 

10 minutes AMRAP (as many reps as possible)

5 Squats

5 Push ups

5 Sit ups

5 Box jumps

5 Kettle bell swings

 

 

This is a fraction of what they normally do for a workout and I was toast! It was nice to put the moves we learned into action to see how much we could push ourselves. I was able to get 8.4 reps in (almost through the squence 9 times in 10 minutes). The box jumps were killer at the end!

 

I can't wait to go back tomorrow night to learn some more moves to apply to our routine. I will keep sharing these workouts with you on the blog so you can try CrossFit out too! Just make sure to watch videos online for correct form and don't push yourself beyond what your body can handle. It takes time to work up to what the experts are doing!

 

What do you think? Have you tried CrossFit before? Would you ever give it a try?

 



Review: OPI in Gargantuan Green Grape

OPI is one of my favorite nail polish brands. They have an awesome range of colors and are always coming out with new shades. It might sound silly, but one of the great things about the bottle is the thick brush. It takes less swipes on each nail because there are so many bristles. 

I recently picked up a new color: gargantuan green grape. If you search online, you’re likely to find a variety of pictures where the polish looks different. In some, the polish looks like a light olive shade. In others, it looks more mint-colored with some blue. I’m not sure if people have mislabeled their pictures, but it’s definitely more of a mint blue-green. 

Here’s my bottle and how it looks on me:

This is a GORGEOUS color! 

The only drawback of this polish is the consistency of the formula. Usually with OPI colors, I need two coats (and with some can get away with one if I want a lighter effect). That’s definitely not an option with this color. No matter what you do, the first coat will look streaky. And, even with a thick second coat, it may still look streaky. Once I applied the third coat, I loved it. The color is great—bright but not crazy. It’s something fun for the summer, but not so over-the-top that I couldn’t wear it to work. 

What is your latest nail polish splurge? 

Quick, Effective Tabata Workout

 

 

Ever hear of Tabata before? Want a quick, extremely effective workout? Keep reading! The basic formula for Tabata training is 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest. The key is to get as many reps in as possible during the 20 seconds. It doesn't seem like that long but trust me, it's killer! I love that you don't have to spend hours at the gym to get an amazing workout in. Don't have that much time and zero equipment? This is your answer.

 

I put together the following workout that will take you 4 minutes to complete and can be repeated up to 3 or 4 times for maximum effect. Keep in mind that your heart is a muscle too and you need to give it rest days between doing Tabata exercises.  

 

 

So, what did you think? Do you have any Tabata moves that you love? Share them in the comments!

Happy Birthday, America!

We all always love a reason to celebrate and what better day than the birthday of our country! BBQs, fireworks and summer weather always make this holiday so fun. We hope you have a very happy, safe and fun 4th of July, no matter where you are. Enjoy this time with your loved ones and celebrate! 

How To Deal With Sunburn

 

I got so burnt on my honeymoon in Hawaii due to the strong sun. I had not been exposed to the sun hardly at all before we went and my skin was not happy. We both got so red on our first day after only being in the sun for an hour and a half when it was overcast. We were even wearing SPF 30! Clearly it was not enough for Maui's strong sun.

 

 

 

I didn't want to be miserable the rest of the trip so I ran down to the gift shop and got some SPF 50 and some Banana Boat® Soothing Aloe After Sun Gel. I also got a surf shirt with SPF in it to help when I was going to be in the sun for an extended period of time. Here are some quick tips that helped me get my skin back to normal after being burnt.

 

1. Apply sunscreen every 1-2 hours, especially if you go in the water. It seems excessive, but your sunscreen wears off quick. It also gives you the opportunity to catch places you may have missed the first time you applied. Trust me, it's well worth it!

 

2. Cover up as much as possible. I know half of the fun of returning from the beach or pool is a bronze glow. However, if you get burnt it's not fun for anyone when you're miserable and complaning. Cover up as much as you possibly can, when you can. You'll still get some rays, trust me on this! I wore a hat and sun glasses and my face still got tan while I was there. It will help prevent wrinkles later in life!

 

3. If you do get burnt, invest in some aloe. It helped relieve the burn feeling immediately when we applied after getting back from the beach and I completely believe that it helped to heal my skin faster. It also prevented my skin from peeling (at least for the most part).

 

4. If your skin starts to peel, gently exfoliate the area while in the shower. This will help new skin to grow and for your burnt skin to heal faster. Trust me when I say to do this gently though, your skin will thank you!

 

5. Apply mositurizer liberally. Your skin will be super dried out after all that sun exposure. Make sure to apply a lot of mositurizer to help keep it hydrated and healthy looking.

 

6. Drink up! You'll get dehydrated after laying out in the sun all day. Make sure to drink more water than normal to help prevent this.

 

Most importantly, listen to your body. If you're getting burt it's wise to stay out of the sun as much as possible -- no tan is ever worth the risk of skin cancer!

 

What are some tips you have for burnt skin? Have you been burnt already this summer?